Sewing machine for forming concealed stitches



J. J. HEAP SEWING MACHINE FOR FORMING CONCEALED STITCHES Nov. 20,1923.

3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 7, 1921 Nov. 20, 1923.

J. J. HEAP SEWING MACHINE FOR FORMING CONCEALED STITCHES Filed May. 7, 19 21 5 Sheets-Sheet? .Lil- Ll- J. J. HEAP SEWING MACHINE FOR FORMING CONGEALED STITCHES Filed May 7. 1921 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented l lomgil, i923.

pairs rra JESSE J. REAP, OFNYAGK, NEW YORK, ASSEGNOB TO UNION SPECIAL MACHINE QOI F- PANY, or CHICAGO, rnrrivors,

n ccaron-nrro v or ILLINOIS.

SEWING MACHINE FOR FGRIYEZNG CGNCEALED STITCHES;

Application filed May 7,

T oil whom it mag concern.

Be it known that I, Jnssn J. I'IEAP, a citizen of the United States, residing at Nyack, in the county of Rockland, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sewing Machines for Forming Concealed Stitches, of which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing and to the figures of reference marked thereon.

The invention relates to new and useful improvements in sewing machines for forming concealed stitches.

In the application filed by me September 2-1, 1919, Serial Number 325,827, there is shown, described and claimed a machine for forming concealed stitches wherein the needles pass through the respective inturned edges of the strip only, thus laying the threads between the inturned edges and the body portion of the strip being stitched so that said stitches are concealed on the right or face side of the strip. In said application, the strip is led to the needles from a point above the presser foot and in front of the needles, and then is fed toward the front of the machine. In the patent granted to J Higgins No. 1,195,81 4, August 22, 1916, thereis shown a similar machine for stitching strips to a body fabric and wherein the strip is led to the needles from a point in rear of the needles and is then fed toward the rear of the machine. In both of these types of machines, the strip approaches the stitching point at an angle from one side of the needle path and is ledaway from the needle path on the same side thereof as it is fed to the needles. The direction of movement of the strip in the region where the needles enter the strip is-substantially parallel with the needle path and at right angles to the line of feed. I Considerable difficulty has been experienced in the starting or short strips owing to the fact that the strip when fed by hand into the machine can only be easily directed up to the point where the feed of the machine takes the strip, and the hand feed direction is substantially at right angles to the machine feed direction.

An object of the present invention is to provide devices for loading the strip, that is, for bending the end of the strip so that'it may betaken by the feed and fedin the 15:21. Seria11 l'o.467',520.

proper direction to automatically draw the strip into themachlne forstitching.

1n the drawings rricaf Figure l is a front end elevation of a ma:

chine embodying myiimprovements;

2 is a. view partly in front-elevation and partly in section from the front of the machine; 7

Fig. 3 is a view of the structure shown in 2 on the line 3-3 thereof;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged view, pa'rtlyin end elevation and partly in section through the presser foot and the starting device for initially bending the strip the feed dog;

Fig. 5 is a view of the supporting bracket and the feeding-in device from the rear of the machine; I

and directing 'it to Fig. 6 is a sectional view on the line 66 of Fig. 4:; and

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the supporting bracket for the initial feeding of the strip.

The invention a machine for forming concealed stitches,

and particularly a machine-for stitching short strips which have their edges inturned and connected to form belt loops. The inturned edges are mined by stitches which pass through the inturned edges only and therefore the stitches do not show on the right erface side of the belt loop, These belt loops are made from scrap material and are consequently made from short strips, and therefore, the operator is continually called upon to load the strips into the machine, that is, start thestrips for stitching. The strip passes through a guide which suras above noted is applied to v rounds the needle paths in such a wayithat the ed es of the strip are infolded and are directed across the path of the needlesothat the needles enter and emerge from the same faceof the inturned edges. Thus it is that s the strips as they are fed into the machine follow the general direction of the path of the needles, when they reach the region of stitching, andafter they pass the region of stitching, the strip is'directed in a direction substantially at right angles toits movement while being stitched.

The invention consists particularly in a.

device which assists in the loading of the path of v strip, that is, the starting of the strip for the 1-,

stitching thereof. Said device consists of a slidable plate which moves in a direction parallel with the under face of the presser foot and in a groove formed in the presser foot therefor. This device is spring pressed rearwardly or in adirectionaway from the needle ath, and may be moved by the hand of the operator across theineedle path and alongv the under side of the presser foot. Thus the end of the strip may be folded or bent in the proper direction to be engaged by the feed so that the feed will automatically draw the strip through the guide and past the stitching point. 1

' Referring'more in detail to the drawings, my improvements are shown as applied to a sewing machine consisting of asupporting bed 1 carrying a bed plate 2 on which the material'is held by the presser foot 8. The presser foot 3 is carried by a presser bar a ofthe usual construction. Said presser foot is provided with a guide '5. The material is stitched by the stitching mechanism which includes, as shown in the drawings, two needles 6 and 7, which are carried-by needle bar 8. Cooperating with the needles 6 and 7 beneath the work support is a looper 9. This looper cooperates with both needl s,

and therefore joins the needle thread loops,

thus formin connected rows of stitching.

The guide 5 is shaped similar to the guide in my prior applications and operates to infold the edges of the strip being stitched. The strip is indicated in the drawings at S. The passageway 10 of the guide 5 through which the strip passes extends in adirection substantially parallel with the needle paths. The strip is led from a position above the guide-and in front of'the needles through this passageway 10. The edges are folded about the path of the needles so that the needles will enter" the respective inturned edge portions of thestrip and said inturned edge portions only. In other words, the

needles do not pass into the body portion of the strip and therefore, the stitches formed by the needles will be concealed on the right or face side of the strip. As the strip passes on down through the passageway 10, it approaches the plane of the work support, from a direction at right angles to the work support. The strip is then bent to the right as viewed in Figures land 4; and is fed toward the front of the machine by the feed dog 11, which is the ordinary fourqn'otion type. It will be seen that the operator may readily by hand, force the end of the'strip down through'the passageway 10 until it i freaches the work support. Then the strip must be bent at a sharp angle in order to the front of the machine and to be engaged with the feed dog 11. This cannot be accomplished merely by pushing downwardly on the strip, and I have therefore provided the following hand-operated wardly underneath the presser foot and into range of the feed do Said hand-op. atedmeans consists of a feeding-in plate 2 which is formed with teeth on its forward end. Said feeding-in plate 12 slides in. a. groove or cut-awe poi-non i l in the under side of the pressei foot 3 (see Fig. 6). The feeding-in plate 12 is provided with an upwardly extending rib 15 which slides in a recess in the bracket. 16 formed integral with the sleeve 17 which is connected to an auxiliary member 18 attached to-and moving up and down on the presser bar r he rib 15 is held in the recess in the bracket 16 by means of two pins 19, 19 which extend through horizontal slots 20, 20 in thebrackct 16. The rear end of the feeding-in plate is turned up as indicated at 21 to form a handle for the hand of the operator; Springs 22, 22 rigidly fixed to the sleevel? by means of a screw 23 bear against the pins 19 and normally hold the feeding-in plate 12 retracted in the positionlshown in il lgures 1, 4t and 7.

As above noted, the machine towhich my improvements are applied is particularly adapted for stitching belt loops made from scrap material, wherein the strips are COIllparatively short and the operator is continu ously required to feed in new strips. in order to start a strip, the presser foot is raised as shown for example in Fig. 4. The strip is led in through the passageway 10 until the end of the strip strikes the work support. Then the feedingdn plate 12 is moved forward and the extreme forward end of this plate will engage the end of the strip projecting beneath the lower surface'of the presser foot and bend the sameforward. While the end is held bent forward by this plate, the presser foot is lowered and the end f the strip will bejcaught by the feed dog 11 and the machine. isthen ready for the beginning of the stitching; operation. The needles of course, are raisedat this time. After the strip has been loaded into the T213. chine as above described, then the feeding' in plate is released, and the springs 22 will retract-the same so that the stitching may proceed.

it is'ob'vious that minor changes in the details of constiuction and the arrangement of the parts may be made without departing); from the spirit ofthe invention asset forth in the appended claims.

guiding a strip from one Side of the needle path into the needle path and thence away from the needle on the same side thereof as received; of loading meansmovable up and engage the end of the strip and bend the 7 same in the direction of feed to cause the a presser foot, stitching mechanism including a needle, a feed dog, means for guiding a strip from above the presser foot and from one side of the needle path into the needle path and thence away from the needle on the same side thereof as received, said strip passing'from the guide underneath the presser foot, of a loading means adapted to engage the end of the strip and bend the same underneath the presser foot and in a direction parallel with the under face of the presser foot whereby the end 3f the strip may be engaged by the feed 3. The combination with a work support, a feed dog, stitching mechanism including needles, a presser foot having an opening through which the needles and the strip to be stitched pass, a guide for directing the strip through the opening in the presser foot and for infolding the edges of the strip and directing the same into the path of the needles, said presser foot having a recess in its under face, a feeding-in plate adapted to be reciprocated in said recess and to engage the end of the strip projectingbeneath the presser foot and bend said end into a direction parallel with the under surface of the presser foot whereby the same is engaged by the feed dog.

4. The combination with a work support,

a feed dog, stitching mechanism including needles, a presser foot having an' opening through which the needles and the strip to be stitched pass, a guide for directing the strip through the opening in the presser foot and fo infolding the edges of the strip and directing the same into the path of the needles, said presser foot having a recess in its under face, a feeding-in plate adapted to be reciprocated in said recess and to engage the end of the strip projecting beneath the presser foot and bend said end into a direction parallel with the under surface of the presser foot whereby the same is engaged by ceding-in plate.

5. The combination with a work support, a feed dog, stitching mechanism including needles, a presser foot having an opening through which the needles and the strip to be stitched pass, a guide fordirecting the and for infolding the edges of the strip and directing the same into the path of the needles, said presser foot having a recess in its under face, a feeding-in plate adapted to be reciprocated in said recess and to engage the feed dog, and springs for retracting said the end of the strip projecting beneath the presser foot and bend said end into a direction parallei with the under surface of the presser foot whereby the same is engaged by the feed dog, a bracket independent of the presser foot and movable therewith for supporting said feeding-in plate, and springs for retracting said feeding-in plate.

6. The combination with a work support, a feedjdog, stitching mechanism including needles, a presser foot having an opening through which the needles and the strip to be stitchedpass, a guide for directing the strip through the opening in the presser foot and for in folding the edges of the strip and directing the same into the path of the needles, said presse foot having a recess in its under face, a feeding-in plate adapted to be reciprocated in said recess and to engage the end of the strip projecting beneath the presser foot and bend said end into a direction parallel with the under surface of the presser foot whereby the same is engaged by the feed dog, a bracket independent of the presser foot and movable up and down therewith for supporting said feeding-in plate, said bracket having a recess in its under face, said plate having a rib extending into said recess, pins carried by said rib and movable in horizontal slots in the bracket for supporting the rib in said bracket, said feeding-in plate having an upturned portion at the rear end thereof, and springs for engaging one of said pins for retracting the feeding-in plate.

7. The combination with a work support,

- a presser foot, stitching mechanism including two needles, and a looper cooperating with said needles and forming connected lines of stitching, a feed dog, and means for guidin the inturned edges of the strip from one si e of the needle paths and said inturned edges into the needle paths and thence away from the needles on the same side there-- path into the needle path and thence away from the needle, on the same side thereof as received; of loading means movable up and down with the presser foot and adapted to engage the end of the strip and bend the 7 same in the direction of feed to cause the end of the strip to be engaged by the feed do in testimony whereof, I afiix my signature.

JESSE J, HEAP. 

